Alining device for signature-gathering machines.



E; R. KAST. ALINING DEVICE FOR SIGNATURE GATHERING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 7, 1910.

Patented July 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

G MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.7, 1910.

Patented July 2, 191.2.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LSQQL UNITE@ granit* OFFICE.

EDWARD R. KAST, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented July 2, 1912.

Application led December 7, .1910. Serial No. 596,013.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD R. KAST, of Baltimore, Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Alining Devices for Signature-Gathering Machines, which invention is fully set forth in the following specication.

This invention relates to the art of assembling printing sheets or signatures in the order desired for binding. In this art the act of assembling signatures one within the other is technically known as insetting and if the signatures are assembled one on top of the other the act will be herein referred to as piling.

rI`he present invention is a mechanism for alining the signatures one upon' the other whether the same are deposited on the piling table or on the insetting saddle or table, and is adapted to be employed in connection with any suitable gathering machine. It is herein shown as associated with the gathering machine of the kind Adisclosed in my application Serial No. 508,160, filed July 17, 1909. In machines of the character described, al plurality of hoppers are pro-- vided from which the signatures are fed onto either the piling table or the insetting saddle or table; and it is desirable that the signatures should be accurately alined one upon the other in 'being conveyed along the saddle or table from one hopper to the next; and that, when the assembled signatures are delivered from the insetting or piling table, they shall be accuratelyplaced one upon the other and in condition to be acted upon by a stitching machine, or delivered to a suitable off-bearing carrier without further attention or labor on the part of an attendant.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, showing one expression of the inventive idea, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, showing my alining attachment in place on a signature gatherer; Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, showing my improved device in position; and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing my alining device, and the insetting saddle and signatures carried thereby. i

Referring to the drawings, 41 indicates the Jframework of the machine, 5 indicates one of the front members and 6 one of the side members of one of the hoppers which are mounted `on the machine, and which contain a supply of signatures 7. The end piece of a suction device is indicated by 8, and 9 indicates one of a series of clamping .lingers and 10 one of a series of semi-cylindrical surfaces which form part of the clamping and withdrawing mechanism for removing the signatures from the hoppers.

11 indicates a supporting finger which sustains the pile of signatures after the end of the lowermostone has reached the position indicated in Fig. 1. The sheets in passingi from the hopper to the insetting table are held against a plurality of belts 12, as by the air blast from a suitable nozzle 13, and these belts pass around suction rolls 14. Similar suction rolls 15 are associated with said suction rolls 14, and these rolls act to open the folded signature as it is fed between said rolls by the belt 12, so that it is in proper position to be deposited on the insetting saddle or table 16. This table is composed of two surfaces inclined upward and inward toward each other and is supported on a suitable part of the frame-work 17. When the signatures'are stripped from thel rollers 14 and 15 by the fingers 18 and delivered to the insetting table 16, they are advanced along said table by an endless carrier 19 having lugs 20, the chain moving in a depressed slot 21 in the top of the table. The endless carrier chain 19 for the insetting table passes over suitably curved guides 22 at the ends of the saddle or insetting table,'and is driven by any suitable means.

The mechanism above set forth may be and preferably is similar to that described and claimed in my application Serial No. 508,160, filed July 17, 1909.

When the signatures are delivered from the several hoppers to the gathering table, they frequently are not perfectly alined with the signatures on which they are deposited, and it is desirable that the alinement be automatically effected by the machine. The alining means hereinafter described are preferably duplicated under each of the hoppers provided on the machine and accordingly only one' need be described., Pivoted in a bracket 23 suitably mounted on the frame of the machine is a lever 24, one end of which carries a socket 25 having a screwthreaded stem 2G, which stem is adjustable in the end of said arm 2-1 by means of nuts 27 and 28.` A pad of suitable material 29, preferably rubber, is secured in said socket in any suitable or desired manner. The other end of said lever 24 carries a roller which is engaged by a cam 31 mounted on a 4shaft 32 driven by means of a belt-'33 and sprocket 34 from any suitable source `of power.. The shaft extends throughout the length of the machine, and is preferably mounted in any suitable manner in the side frame thereof.

The roller 30 on the short arm of thelever 24 is keptin constant engagement with the cam 31 by reason of the fact that said short arm is overbalanced by the weight of the long arm of said lever, and when the roller 30 is in engagement with the curved surface 31', which is concentric with the axis of said cam, the rubber pad carried in the socket 25 is maintained in the raised position indicated in Fig. 1; and when the cutaway surface portion 31 is in engagement with the roller 30, the rubber socket 25 is permitted to descend lightly upon the upper s urface of the last signature deposited upon the table. As the signatures beneath it are advanced by the action of the lug 20 on the chain 19, the uppermost or last signature deposited is prevented from moving forward until it in turn is also engaged by the lug 20, when all of the si atures w11l be thusbrought in actual ainement and accurately piled one immediately When this engagement of the lug 20 with the to most signature takes place, the pile is move along, the table, notwithstanding the frictional contact of pad 29 with the topmost signature. Immediately following the contacting of lug 20- with the edge of the last deposited slgnature, however, the concentric surface 31 of cam31 rocks said lever 24 removing pad 29 from contact with said signature, and the signature'feeding means move the pile forward and bring the next pile of signatures on the `table under the succeeding hopper. A new signature is then deposited on the pile, when the operation described is repeated. v

It will therefore be understood that immediately after a signature is deposited on the table from each of the hoppers, the whole series of levers'24 is operated, as indica-ted, vto engage pads 29 with the signatures just deposlted; and that, immediately after the lugs 20 have contacted with the edge of said last deposited signatures and alined the same with others of their respective piles, the

pads 29 are raised from said signatures.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 35illustrates signatures that have been deposited on the table and pad in theV are being carried alon the same by reason of the engagement of igs 20; and 86 indicate signatures (shown in section and dotted lines in Fig. 2) being fed through suction rollers 14 and 15,*one of said signatures being shown in full lines in Fig. 1.'

' While the alinin scribed is illustrated as associated only with the insetting saddle or table 16, it will be readily understood that the same is adapted for use with the gathering table 35', which table is fully shown and described in my .application Serial No. 508,160, tiled July What is'claimed is 1. A signature gatherer havin in c ombination a signature-receiving ta 1e, means depositin the signatures one by one in piles on said ta le, signature advancing means for advancing the piles of signatures along said table, a pivoted lever, a pad carried by one end thereof movable into engagement with a signature to restrainthe same from movement until engaged by said advancing means and then movable out of engagement therewith andmeans controlling 'the movement of said pad through said lever. 2. A signature-gatherer having in combination a signature-receiving table, means depositing the signatures one by one in piles 'on said table, signature-advancing means for advancing the piles of signatures along mechanism herein de-v said table, and a cam-operated lever 'one end of which is provided with friction means to move into contact with each signature as deposited and` restrain the same from movement until engaged by said advancing means.

\ 3. A signature gatherer having in combination a signature-receiving table, means depositing the signatures one by one in piles on said table, slgnature-a-dvancing means for advancing the piles of signatures along said tabe--and a pivoted lever one arm of which overbalances the-other arm thereof, friction means carried by the heavier arm of said lever adapted to engage 4with 'each signature as deposited and restrain the same fr om 'movement until engaged by said advancing means, and a cam intermittently acting on the lighter armV of said lever to move said friction means out of engagement with the signature.

In testimony whereof I have signed thisv specification in the vpresence of two subscribing witnesses.

i EDWARD R. KAST.

p Witnesses: '1

JOHN W. Hawes, M. E. WILLENER. 

